


Lunalight

by Mi_n_ico



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Kurapika is having a midlife crisis at age 19 but aren't we all?, Multi, My oc Lucy is an idiot, Time Skips, its like titanic but in a temperate climate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-04-18 11:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14212281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mi_n_ico/pseuds/Mi_n_ico
Summary: Lucy had big dreams, including but not limited to: being the first anthropologist to successfully complete a cultural immersion in Meteor City, Being chosen as a member of the Advising Team for a Dark Continent exploration trip, and maybe get married one day if she found the right person. But, everyone assured her that these dreams were locked up tight and she would never find the key. And they were right, she didn't find the key. He found her.





	1. In a Museum

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I'm making a few mild changes. My babies aren't dead and Hisoka can suck a dick. Illumi's to be precise. We're going with nonbinary Kalluto because I said so. I'm hesitant on how much of a role Gon, Alluka, and Killua will play but Alluka needs to be involved at certain points for Zoldyck Sibling Character Development so those three will show up at some point. uhh.... Kurapika is going to do a weird turnaround but I swear it's going to make sense.just give me time okay, he's not even in the first third of the story.

XX33  
Swifton, Eastern Tonwas Region

Living in a college town had many advantages, Lucy would always insist. Most notably, the museums. The largest town in the region, and it was pathetically small, still had three art galleries and seven museums. Small ones yes, and four were on the campus itself, but it was still impressive. 

Luna found herself here or there most afternoons, perusing the featured local artists or attending craft talks by visiting writers. It was a fantastic place to live if you liked to learn. 

Which, I suppose, is the point of a university.

It was in an off-campus gallery for local art and culture that Lucy met the people who would change her life. 

Usually she was the only one who came in for reasons other than school, aside from a few local regulars. So to see an unfamiliar face surprised her. Perhaps he was traveling through and decided to stop? It wasn’t uncommon, as the region’s population was sparse and driving to-and-from the cities on the fringes took a long time. 

He was inspecting a wooden statue, intrigued by the intricate patterns. 

“That was found in a cave a while northwest of here.” Lucy piped up, bouncing over to the man in the black coat, “it was sort of kidnapped and taken to a major university several regions east, and we only managed to get it back three years ago. It’s our local treasure, even though all it is is a cane.”

He looked down at her, “just a cane? That’s a fancy cane.”

She nodded, “that’s what everyone else thought too, why they took it. It was only when Dr. Hutchinson, the Anthropology department director, deciphered the writing on it that we could determine its actual use. Really, the value of the display isn’t for the object itself, but in the merit of the story. We’re fiercely protective of local culture here, and when people deface it for the sake of performative academics, it really bothers us.”

For a moment the man looked almost disappointed, but then he smiled, “as it should. The preservation of culture is vital to us as a species. I make it a habit myself to try to get to rare and important things before those with ill intent can, especially books. If I can preserve a rare book and have it copied into more editions, that knowledge will serve a purpose, rather than sit on a shelf somewhere for some rich nobody to brag about.”

He fully turned to her and offered a hand, “Chrollo Lucilfer, antique specialist.”

She took it and shook it firmly, “Lucy Haddigan, Cultural Anthropology major with a minor in Art History. Also known troublemaker and anti-capitalist radical.” 

Chrollo chuckled, “quite the resume! And an usual place to find one like it.”

She shrugged, “I’m not paying for this, I did my time.” She flashes the clear card holder on her lanyard, showing off her license, “I just need to get a masters degree so people will believe what I say.”

His smile grows even wider at the offhand statement, “You and I are a lot alike I think. You see the big picture, I like that.”

“Yeah…” she turns back to the cane, “I have a lot of big ideas. People think I’m kind of silly for them though, that what I want to do is impossible. But like, I dunno, maybe everyone else who’s tried is just doing it wrong. Or maybe there’s some big secret… sorry, I ramble a lot. I’m just trying to plan my big research trip I need for graduation.”

“And where would you like to go?”

Her shoulders droop, “Well, I won’t end up where I really want, even though I got approved. I wanted to go to Meteor City. Not only do I not know how to get there, every other anthropologist who’s been there never came back. But I don’t know, maybe they were jerks about it! Anthropology was built on the backs of the world’s biggest assholes. So maybe, I thought if it were me, someone who understands, who gets it… then maybe… it’s stupid.”

“No, it’s really not. Wanting to do the thing no one else has done, it’s admirable. But your only real obstacle is getting in there in one piece and not as a prisoner.”

She shrugged noncommittally, “Hey I’d take being a prisoner. I just want to go there and get back alive, write a good thesis, and show the world what’s really going on. All we have now is rumors and speculation.”

“Hm.” Chrollo replied, the two falling into a silence until footsteps approached behind them.

“This place is stupid, I want to go find that art show.” 

They turn back to see another figure in a dark coat, this one around Lucy’s own height. His eyes were piercing, peeking from above a skull-print mask and between dark strands of hair. 

“Ah, well it’s a good thing I found a local art enthusiast!” Chrollo laughed, slinking an arm around Lucy’s shoulder and guiding her to the stranger, “I have to go meet a business contact for lunch, but I’m sure she can help. Feitan, this is Lucy, aspiring anthropologist and known troublemaker. Lucy, this is Feitan, my close friend, and a fellow lover of mischief and art.”

Feitan makes no move to shake her hand, but instead scoffs, “she doesn’t seem the type to know true art.”

Lucy smirked, “Oh you’re here for the Brown exhibit huh? And on opening night too, must be a big fan. What, bring a book to get signed or something? I was going to head over soon actually.” 

He blinks a few times, and mutters in a language Lucy didn’t recognize before turning to the exit, “well, let's go then. It starts in thirty minutes.”

The walk north to the art building was peaceful, even through just like Chrollo, Feitan had an intense aura. But he seemed to just be here to see the art show, and it wasn’t exactly her place to judge. 

“So, do you and Chrollo work together? Or did you just come for the show?” she asked, looking over to him. 

“Both. I’m not much for antiques but technically he is my boss. He’s a man of many hats.”

“I thought he might be. He seems like someone who can do as they please with their life, but has earned that right.”

Feitan nods, “Yes, that’s right. I’ve known him a long time, he’s always been like that.”

There’s a pause, eventually, Feitan looks her dead in the eyes, “you’re looking at me like an animal in a zoo.”

Lucy blinked, feeling a little flush creep up her cheeks, “S-sorry, it’s an anthropologist thing! I was just wondering and you and Chrollo, you two aren’t like anyone i’ve ever met! I was sort of wondering where you were from.”

“And an anthropologist is…”

“Study of humanity. I’m in the cultural anthropology field, meaning well, we mostly travel and do immersions and try to figure out why things are the way they are! We’re also often political activists, which is the route I’m looking to take.”

Feitan raises his eyebrows and looks away again, “big dreams for a small girl.”

“We’re the same height! And I’ve already proven myself worthy of a hunter’s license so it’s not like anyone can stop me! Well, not legally.”

“How in the world did someone like you get a license?”

She smirks, “I’m not as weak and fragile as I appear. But mostly it was through social connections. Lots of flirting with the examiners, finding tough dudes to hide behind, the usual. But hey, I got it, and that’s what matters in the end.”

Feitan nodded almost aggressively, but said nothing. He looked though, stared at her as if he expected her to say more.

“You good?” she asked.

He gently flared his Nen, as if looking for a response. As if asking in she knew how strong he was.

“Yes, I can tell. But an anthropologist is not here to make judgements, only to objectively observe and record.” 

Seemingly satisfied with that, he headed inside the building they’d been standing in front of. 

\--

Feitan was a different person inside the exhibit. He resembled an excited child on Christmas morning, running from piece to piece, hands shaking as if he wanted to grab everything and run. And she knew he could, if he wanted to. But this guy seemed to be someone he held in high regard. 

With that in mind, Lucy wandered up to the front, and began perusing the prints for sale. A woman in casual athletic gear was there as well, her bright pink hair contrasting the dark walls of the room. 

When she noticed Lucy looking back to see which Paintings Feitan lingered at longest, he lightly tapped her on the arm, and pointed to a print on the table. 

“That one.” she whispered, smiling. 

Lucy inhaled sharply and ran to the register to pay for it. When she returned, the woman waved her over.

“The boss said he’d gotten Fei a tour guide, guess you’re it?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. I just couldn’t help but notice how excited he was getting about the art but he seemed kind of… distressed? I sort of kept watching until I realized why. He wants to have the art, but won’t take it, because he holds too much respect for the artist. I figured if I bought a print, if by the end of the night he takes it from me, that’s fine. If he doesn’t, I’ll give it to him anyway.” 

The woman nods, “You’re observant.” she holds out a hand, “I’m Machi by the way.”

“Lucy. yeah, it’s kind of in the job description. I’m majoring in Cultural Anthropology.”

Machi nods, “Sounds cool. Boss was saying something about you wanting to do the first ever successful cultural Immersion in Meteor City yeah?” 

Lucy nodded, “I was planning on taking a different, quieter approach to my research. Like, i’m not making a big claim or trying to do something radical. I just want to live there and write about what I learn. No big fuss or sensationalizing, just people and how they live. I just need to find a way in is the problem.” 

“... wait so he didn’t tell you? That’s so like Chrollo.”

“Tell me what?”

“That we’re from Meteor city, and he’s planning on taking you back with us for your research trip! I’m supposed to help you get packed up, because we need to leave tomorrow.” 

“T-tomorrow?” she cried, nearly jumping out of her skin, “but there’s so much paperwork to fill out and supplies to be gathered, and a-and-”

“Relax, the boss has it covered! He called your advisors already and worked something out so you can send the stuff when you finish it. And on the subject of stuff, Chrollo has tons of stuff. The last thing we need is more stuff. You’ll be fine.” 

Bewildered, Lucy was rushed out of the exhibit, still clutching the art print on her hands as Machi pulled her along. To her surprise and fear, it seemed two men were already loading her things into the trunk of a car. 

They all were as strong as those she’d already met, so Lucy didn’t bother asking how they had gotten into her dorm. 

One, a tall blond man also in athletic gear, smiled and waved as the three of them walked up. 

“Hey! Lucy right? I’m Phinks, and that’s Nobunaga. Man, how’d you get all this stuff into that tiny room?”

Lucy shakes his hand, surprised that he matched her forced enthusiasm, “oh well, after a few years doing this you learn a few tricks.”

“I’ll say, your closet is bigger than mine!” he laughed, turning his attention to Machi, “see? I told you it’s not absurd to own lots of clothes. She fit all this into an itty bitty closet and a set of six drawers!”

Machi examines a few pieces, “Yes, and none of them were originally priced exorbitant amounts for no reason other than a name. In fact, judging my style, i’d say these were mostly bought secondhand.”

Lucy nodded, “I’ve been known to kind of stalk thrift stores. It’s a bit of a problem, as you can see by the mountain of clothes. Here, they take up less space if you fold them like this.”

She pushed forward, and began rolling the clothes into tight bundles, “My roommate from freshman year taught me how to do this. You can fit a month’s worth of clothes with no repeats into a standard backpack in you do it this way.”

Phinks began to copy her, “are you serious?”

“Yep, spent three weeks living out of a carry on bag while I was in Yorknew for a conference and I didn’t even wear the same socks twice or do any laundry.”

He whistled low, “wow, this is a game changer.” 

Feitan began grumbling in another language and took his seat in the car. Phinks chuckled and slid in beside him.

“What are you so pissy about? Looks like you got what you wanted.”

Hering that, Lucy glanced down to see the art print was gone. She looked back up and smiled as she noticed him unfurling it to see what print she’d bought. His eyes lit back up and he looked over to her. She tried to hide what she’d done but he scoffed at the girls anyway.

“You didn’t need to do that.” he grumbled. 

“Oh shut up!” Machi replied, getting into the front seat, “you’d never have the guts to steal from him directly and you never bring pocket money to events like this because you’re stupid. And I know you don’t have that one yet even though it’s your favorite.” 

Lucy couldn’t hide her grin as she settled into the far right seat in the back, Feitan on the far left and Phinks squished between the two shorter people. 

“How the hell did you guys get the window seats?” 

“Because Lucy is a guest and you were stupid enough to let me get in first.” Feitan replied, dropping his mask just long enough to stick his tongue out at Phinks. Lucy got a decent look at his full face for the first time, a wider, almost round face, slender upturned nose that was unfairly cute, charming and playful yet sneaky smile, and dark eyes framed by heavy lashes. 

She took a moment to compile all she knew about him. He liked creepy gore art and was a snob about it, was obviously some kind of kleptomaniac, but refused to steal from his favorite artist because he respected the man too much. He is very attractive, horrifically strong if his nen was anything to go by, is at least bilingual, and is from Meteor City, a place Lucy had dreamt of visiting since she was a child.

“Oh.” thought Lucy in a strange wave of calm acceptance, “I’m doomed.”


	2. In a room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're starting some timeskip bs here because I uh have oc's and want to use them now not later.

XX57  
Reflection Lake Settlement University

Vermillia sighed, tracing the letters of the title of the book on her desk. “The Faces of Names You Know” A Study of Famous yet Isolated Microcultures by Dr. H.P.

She had to write a report, on a report, written by someone who worked at the university. Because of course whoever Dr. H.P was, they worked here. Who thought of that stupid idea? Why, when she was a studio art major anyway? This was seven levels of pointless! 

“I could be painting right now.” Vermillia whispered.

Grumbling, she opened to the preface. 

Greetings dear reader, and welcome to my story. This book was adopted from my personal journals I write in real time during my initiation and subsequent participation in the uppermost and most mysterious levels of our population. Those known not by who they are, but rather what. These are household names which are not names at all, rather titles which give a horrifically generalized and presumptuous view of the individuals holding it, rather than any indication of who they are as a person. So here, we’ll be doing the opposite of that. You will be learning exactly who these people really are, and only connecting a name at the very end, to properly see how incorrect these assumptions are. With this in mind, do enjoy, and let us begin.   
Regards, Dr. H.P. 

Vermillia paused, reading it a few times before flipping to the first chapter.

This might not be quite so boring after all.

Ch.1: Tall, Dark, Handsome, and a few other people I met on accident. 

Let me begin by saying I’ve always been a right dumbass, but in this line of work you are either an idiot or apathetic towards everything. It’s the only two methods to free oneself from biases. I chose idiocy, the degree of which I might blindly fling myself upon an electric chair knowing full well what it does. 

It is this blind absence of reason which led me to begin this quest. I latched myself to the back of a metaphorical bull and held on like I was mad. And it served me quite well, if I may gloat a bit. But enough about me, you’re not here to learn about me. I’m no one. You’re here to learn about someone.

\--  
XX33  
Somewhere in the Eastern Tonwas Region

It quickly became apparent that the drive would be a long one, heading deep into the uninhabitable wasteland that permeated most of Eastern Tonwas. It was a rain shadow, mountains blocking moisture from the ocean from heading east. All the towns, and the few large cities farther south, were situated along the few winding river canyons snaking across the desolate landscape. 

Farther south, the wasteland devolved into wine country, larger cities as well as small towns peppering the edge of the massive Kima River, wide and deep enough that early settlers mistook it for a lake.

The only other body of water in the area was a massive lake, Lake Shell, which was so deep in places there was no sure-fire calculation. It was a tourist trap these days, but beautiful and clean nonetheless. 

But it soon became abundantly clear that none of these places were the car’s destination however, as after two hours of driving, they pulled off onto an old unused pathway leading over a hill into a small valley, where a few tents were set up, as well as a small contained fire and a jeep parked off to the side.

As the group exited the car, Lucy’s eyes found Chrollo immediately. He was sitting by the fire with a few others, eating what looked like barbecue. A few introductions were held and Lucy was instructed to make herself at home. The small airship they’d be taking back was on it’s way and would be picking them up in a few hours. 

Lucy made herself comfortable in the right hand tent’s doorway, where she observed two younger-looking members making paper dolls. Or, rather, Kalluto was making dolls and Kortopi was trying to before quickly giving up and materializing them with a nen ability. 

Lucy scooted over, “Can I try?”

Kalluto looked up, “Sure.”

She copied the swift scissor strokes as best she could, but her end product looked sloppy next to Kalluto’s.

“That’s really good for a first try.” They insisted, “Have you ever done this before?”

“Once or twice when I was younger,” Lucy admitted, “but they weren’t ever as nice as yours. You must practice a lot.”

They nod, “It’s part of my ability, so I need to have lots of them on hand.”

“That’s really neat! I haven’t been practicing long enough or hard enough to lay down my individual ability yet. I really only got my hunters license to pay for college in the first place, and everything I’ve learned about nen since has mostly been for help in my observations.”

“You’re an anthropologist right? So I bet you’ve already figured out a lot about the group out of habit.” Kortopi piped in, sounding a little defensive.

“Yeah, but it’s nothing to worry about. If I was a psychologist, then you’d have reason to worry! We don’t pass judgement, just observe objectively, to the best of our ability.”

Kortopi visibly relaxed, “That sounds like an interesting job.”

Lucy nodded, “It really is! And if this trip goes well, I’ll have done something a lot of people thought was impossible! Really, just by talking to you and staying with you, I already have! And hopefully, once I’m done, my research will make life a whole lot better for a whole bunch of people.”

Kalluto squinted, “how?”

“Well, no anthropologist has successfully done a cultural immersion of Meteor City. Which, that’s a fancy way to say everyone we sent either didn’t make it in, or never came back. So we don’t know what life is like there, and we can’t do big projects because legally, no one exists there so we can’t get government funds. But if I can go in, make observations, write them down, maybe get pictures or video or interviews from locals, and get it all back to the university, I’ll be able to dispel all the rumors and speculation about Meteor City, and replace it with facts!”

“And if there’s solid, irrefutable proof of there being a population with a culture there, it cannot legally be ignored.” Kalluto continued with a nod, “With any luck the public outrage over it being pushed under the rug will be enough to push for change in policy. That could end with it being considered its own independent state, and I’ll tell you right now that’s not a pipe dream. It already acts as one.”

“I can see why the boss wanted you to come along.” Kortopi said with admiration dripping from his voice, “Meteor City is immensely powerful even when it’s unrecognized, if we actually had public standing in world politics, the possibilities are endless!” 

Lucy bounced happily in her seat, “and if I can do it in less than a year, I’ll be a surefire candidate for the HA’s next Dark Continent exploration trip! I’ll get to advise the top treasure and beast hunters in the world and maybe even discover new civilizations!”

“Well you’ve got some of Meteor city’s elite on your side Lucy!” Kalluto insisted with a smile, “That report will be in the hands of your department in a year or less without a doubt!”

Meteor city’s elite? That’s an usual title, to be sure.

But Lucy was sure it didn’t mean much out of the city, why would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Lucy... Lucy you sweet idiot. I'm going to try to see how long I can keep up with Lucy not knowing who she's travelling with. I'm writing ahead and I can safely say it won't be long because something real interesting happens next chapter! And by real interesting I mean Lucy almost sees Fei's tattoo on accident while they discuss a few bits of random character exposition in their pj's.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some airship nonsense!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I haven’t put a chapter up, I literally have had this written for ages but I’ve been busy with school and stuff. Even though it takes like two minutes to paste the chapter in. But like I like to have chapters written ahead and chapter 4 has been kicking my ass. I literally just want to skip to the Dark Continent already even though that’s like ten chapters away- if I do a time skip.

XX33  
The Sky

The Air ship had landed and taken off again sometime after Lucy had drifted off to sleep, and she’d been awoken by the feeling of being placed down. She stirred slightly, but was still caught up in her dreams. 

“Hmm?” she opened her eyes a sliver, as much as her half-wakened state would allow, and began to worry. It was happening again. 

Occasionally, when Lucy would go to sleep, she’d have a hard time waking up. This was often accompanied by intensely vivid dreams in which she would think she had already woken up. These events would leave her panicked and shaken by the time she managed to wake herself up, not to mention she’d be more tired than when she fell asleep.

Quickly Luna realized she was not alone, and tried to get the attention of the blurry figure leaning over her. 

She was unable to properly speak, apparently, as her yells of “Help” appeared to fall on deaf ears. But they reacted, a little. She was able to move her mouth. How about hands? 

She reached, blindly, unable to force her eyes open any longer, and grabbed at the clothes of the person. 

Struggling she managed to force words, “Help… can’t... eyes!”

Seemingly just as panicked, the figures shook and pried off her hand, before briefly pausing, and hesitantly slapping her square across the face. 

It worked. 

She sat up, panting and doing everything she could to keep her eyes open. Gaze darting around, she realized it was Feitan who has apparently brought her here. Her face burned as she realized what just happened, and she buried her face in her hands. 

“I’m so sorry. That happens sometimes. I wake up but I can’t stay awake. Usually I set alarms but I hadn’t intended to fall asleep…”

Chrollo appears in the doorway, “is everything alright?” 

Feitan turns, “Boss, I think you should hear this.”

Chrollo’s face tightens with worry at his friend’s dark tone, and he kneels by the bed. 

Lucy peeks out from her fingers, “I’m sorry, It’s not a big deal. I sometimes have trouble waking up when I’m asleep, I usually set alarms and that helps me wake up but this was an accident and-” she pauses to yawn, “I wasn’t prepared and I guess I got unlucky. I needed help snapping myself awake.”

Chrollo frowns, “that sounds like a form of sleep paralysis, perhaps. It’s worth keeping an eye on. Give me a moment.”

He pulls out a cloth bag of sorts and begins rustling through it, still speaking, “How much can you move during these times Lucy?”

“Once I got up and walked down the hall to the bathroom with my eyes closed,” she replies, “I usually just can’t open my eyes or speak, but sometimes I have limited mobility otherwise. I can’t recall a time I couldn’t at least roll over and reach my bedside table. But if I lose focus I fall back asleep, and it can be hours before I wake up naturally. A loud noise, or someone touching me, or cold water will snap me out of it. At least, it always has before.”

Nodding Chrollo procured a pair of small silver bells, handing one to Lucy, and one to Feitan. 

“If one of these bells is rung, the other bell will also sound. If it happens again on the ship, just ring it.”

Feitan holds up the little bell to eye it, “why me?”

“Your room is closest to Lucy’s, and you’re also the fastest of any of us. I don’t want to leave this alone, but we don’t exactly have the resources to figure it out.” 

Chrollo left, but Feitan stayed, perched on the end of Lucy’s bed. She made no move to go back to sleep, instead, she stared at him. 

“What?” he finally asked.

“...I usually don’t go right back to sleep after an episode like that. It bugs me, I usually stay up an hour or so at least. Is there anything to do here?”

He glances to the wall clock, to the door, and back to Lucy before rising. “I suppose,” he mumbled, cracking his knuckles, “I could show you something… neat.”

She got up, bare feet padding softly behind him as they made way to the next door down, a room not unlike Lucy’s own, but full of stuff. 

Feitan flopped stomach-down onto the bed, which was more bookshelf than sleeping space at this point. He waved Lucy over and she sat gingerly in an open space on the bed. 

“You like art books huh?” she stated the obvious, looking at the impressive spread before her. 

“Astute observation miss Anthropologist.” he snarked, rolling over to hand her a book, “is that all you do? State the obvious?”

“Unfortunately, yeah.” she replied, thumbing through the glossy pages of what looked like an avant garde magazine, “humans are kinda stupid and sometimes they need the obvious things told to them like they’re babies born yesterday.”

Feitan let out a small chuckle, and Lucy’s stomach leapt into her throat. That was cute. Sinister, but cute.

“Yes, I’ve seen that first hand. Sometimes even when people know they’re wrong, they just can’t let it go.” there’s a long pause, a pregnant one. Lucy doesn’t look up from the book, but she knows dark eyes are trained on her, her breathing patterns, how often she blinks, perhaps he can feel her heart beating from across the bed.

He props himself up on his elbows, “Why didn’t you ever go to a doctor?”

She stiffens, and she knows he can see it. 

“I… I don’t like doctors. No special reason to it, I don’t have a sob story. I just don’t like doctors, I don’t like putting that much trust in any human. A machine maybe, but not something with opinions and emotions and an error margin a canyon wide. I don’t like medicine either, but mostly that’s pain meds. Again, too much of a risk there, I’d rather just deal with pain. I suppose my allergy to aspirin doesn’t help there.”

He exhales loudly and rolls fully onto his back, “I get all that, but… isn’t that terrifying?”

“Says the one who exudes murder vibes 24/7 about the one who’s yet to react to said vibes.”

He taps impatient fingers on his chest, “that’s different. Lucy, I torture people. Fear, pain, and coercion are what I know best. If I wanted to I could run circles around psychologists. Nothing about the human psyche surprises me. And the thought of being asleep, knowing I’m asleep, and being unable to wake up… that is the most terrifying thing I could ever imagine.”

Lucy’s eyes are trained on his, but in her peripherals she could see something strange, and alarming. Milky white skin peeking out from his black t-shirt. His hip bone, jutting out in the way it does on supermodels and athletes. She couldn’t stop herself, she had to look.

And yes, yes it was a strip of pale skin between the waistband of his pants and the hem of his shirt. The man who just casually admitted to torturing people. The one who- is that a tattoo?”

By now he noticed her staring, and shifted to pull the pants up to hide the ink. 

Realizing what she’d just been caught doing, Lucy quickly darted to her feet, “I-I’m feeling much better now, I think I’ll go back to bed. See you in the m-morning!” 

She slammed the door behind her, and swore under her breath as she heard him cackling from down the hall. 

\--  
Fei’s room

He forced laughter out, loud enough that she would surely hear, think that he was pleased. But the moment the air left his lungs, it hollowed into a near sob.

How much had she seen? She looked embarrassed, petrified even. Had no one told her? Most likely not. She should find out because someone told her, not on accident like she stumbled upon a dark secret!

Chrollo brought her along to help the city, not to scare a poor grad student into giving up her dream!

Feitan pulled the blanket over his head, and sighed. She was pretty decent company too.


	4. the fourth chapter that took too long i'm sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to move and my life went out of wack and then Monster Prom happened and it consumed my very soul. Damien and Liam have stolen my heart, it's hard to think of anything else. expect future works for that, I've got two in the works atm

Ch4:

Meteor City Airship Landing Place Thing  
XX33

“Hey Lucy, we’re landing.” A voice accompanies the creaking door. She blinks awake, turning to see Kortopi peeking from the doorway.

“Alright, I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

The door squeaks shut again and Lucy rises, stretching with a groan. For a moment she wonders why she’s so tense, before the memories of the night prior wash over her, and she cringes.

“Oh why did I do that!” She whispers, smacking her forehead with an open palm, “I bet I looked like a fucking fangirl.”

But there wasn’t much she could do about it, so she went about preparing herself for the day ahead. 

She decided on a fairly casual outfit by her standards, a short tight red shirt over black leggings and a slightly sheer black button up top with a black crop top underneath, and a beige knit beret hiding her slightly greasy hair, which was done in two simple braids. 

With that she slipped on the two rings he always wore on her right hand, a simple hematite band and a more ornate silver one with an onyx placed in the center.

She made her way to the landing dock of the ship, where the rest of the group seemed to be waiting. Phinks’ eyes went wide at her entry, a light blush forming at the height of his cheeks.

“U-uh morning Lucy!” He stuttered, smiling awkwardly.

She masked her smirk with a smile, chirping a reply “morning Phinks!”

The blush grew deeper and the a couple other members whispered and giggled.

Lucy took a spot next to Kalluto, “did you see that?” She whispered. 

They nod, “everyone was looking at you though, he’s just a fool. You look really pretty today. I mean, you’re always pretty but today is different. I think it’s the shirt”

Lucy giggled, “I don’t bring out this one very often, but I really like it. My friend insisted I buy it one time at the mall, I thought it was the most silly idea I’d ever heard, but I bought it to shut her up, and now it’s my favorite!”

“Sometimes you have to take risks.” Kalluto replies, “me joining this group was a risk. My family is quite well off and well respected in our line of work, but I wanted to go see the world and try something new, the way my brother and sister have. And it worked out wonderfully!”

“It seems like it! Anyone with more common sense than me would have run away meeting Chrollo, but you guys seem really cool! Even Feitan who seems hell bent on trying to scare me by flaring his aura and bragging about his job.”

Feitan, who was standing nearby, shot her a very strange look. Lucy didn’t bother with it; she was a confusing person and she often got looks like that.

“Feitan? Bragging?” Chrollo buts into the conversation, “you must be quite the hard nut to crack if he’s resorted to bragging.”

Lucy shrugs, “I think I scare him because I don’t react when he tries to be scary. I don’t know if it’s because he’s cute or if I’m just too aware of how hard he’s trying.” 

“Cute?” He blurts, turning to face the group fully, “I’m not cute!”

“I think she meant it as a colloquial synonym for attractive.” Chrollo explains with a gentle pat to his shoulder, “no need to get defensive.”

This seemed to almost embarrass him more, as he slouched under his heavy mask. Phinks, who stood next to him, looked a little peeved and began muttering under his breath as the group began to exit the ship. 

“Oh he gets called cute huh… man why do angsty nerds get all the chicks?” 

Lucy and Kalluto look at each other out of the corners of their eyes and stifle their giggles. 

—

The city sprawled before her, and it was the last thing she expected. 

This was not piles of trash, no it was a paradise of it. At first glance everything looked like a normal city; people went about their business in and out of shops, families strolled by with strollers, little dogs on leashes, everything you’d expect.

But on a closer look, everything was made of reclaimed trash. The landing area was paved with what looked like aluminum cans, upper levels of buildings had mosaic windows of colored glass shards, and the clothes were something to behold. 

“This is better than I could have imagined Chrollo!” Lucy whispered in his ear as she jogged to keep up with him. 

“You like it? We’ve put a lot of work into the place. When I was a kid the city was mostly shacks in trash piles. 

“And now it’s just… look at it! Talk about a zero waste community! Such modern infrastructure with such little outside contact!”

“Yep, we’ve even got public transport! And while I don’t know how your palette would take it, we’ve got a variety of unique food here as well, not to mention a thriving fashion scene.” 

A man in a suit meets them at the bottom of the dock. 

“Hello sir! Is this the guest you told us about?”

Chrollo nods, “yes, this is Lucy. I’ll be explaining at the town meeting today.”

The man nods and ushers them to a bus. The entire way Lucy is flanked by Phinks and Machi, who both seem on guard. 

Before she can ask, Machi explains, “you’re an unknown person, even though you’re with us people can be stupid. Just stick close and don’t start taking notes or snapping pictures yet.”

“Gotcha.”

The bus ride leads them to what looks like the main square of the metropolitan area, and a stage is set up. 

Chrollo bounds up the stairs and waves to the crowd, enticing cheers. 

“We’re home and glad to be here everyone!” He begins, “and I have a very special guest I’d like you to meet.” Lucy is pushed forward, “This is Lucy Haddigan, an Anthropology grad student I met in the Tonwas region, she made casual mention of a dream of hers, and I found it impossible not to help her. You see, Lucy got approved to do a cultural immersion here for her thesis, her dream has always been to prove to the world what everyone already knows but chooses to ignore; that Meteor City is one of the most advanced and powerful places in the known world!” 

The crowd cheers.

“So, I snatched her up and whisked her right back here, so she can deliver irrefutable proof that we aren’t a stinking garbage pile! And with the fame that she’ll garner, her next plans are to become part of the consulting team of anthropologists on the upcoming Dark Continent scouting trip held the the Hunters Association!”

Many gasps and cheers. 

The mike is handed to her, and she takes a deep breath before smiling brightly, “Hi everyone! Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity! I’ve only been here for about twenty minutes and I’m absolutely blown away! This place is amazing!” Everyone cheers, “it must have been fate that I met these wonderful people when I did, my whole life I’ve been told getting here and leaving alive was a pipe dream, but I knew I’d find a way! The only part of that statement that may have true was getting out alive, because if all of it is this wonderful I might not ever want to leave!” 

The meeting concluded with a few reports by Chrollo about whatever they were out of the city for, something about a museum, and everyone piles back into the bus.


End file.
